Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Guest Emcee at the Pasadena Jazz Institute
The Pasadena Jazz institute was founded in 2001 and is a non-profit organization dedicated to jazz education, preservation, and participation. They recently held their annual fundraiser at their beautiful venue located in the Paseo Colorado center in Pasadena. The guest emcee for the night was jazz-enthusiast, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Abdul-Jabbar’s father was a jazz musician, so his love and passion for the music began as a baby. He said jazz is one of the brighter lights in black culture and he’s hoping that his involvement will help give the Institute recognition.
One of the Pasadena Jazz Institute’s program highlights is their Jazz Camp for Kids program. It is a program that trains kids on various instruments and exposes them to the music. The kids involved in the program also performed at the fundraiser. Abdul-Jabbar mentioned that he hopes programs like this one will help make the art popular to kids.
Other performances that night included Chuchito Valdes, where he led his Afro-Cuban based Latin-Jazz ensemble. He is considered a master in Cuban music and is the son of Chucho Valdes and grandson of Bebo Valdes from Buena Vista Social Club fame.
Pasadena City Councilman Sid Tyler attended the fundraiser that night and is helping to support the Institute through publicizing what they are doing in and outside of Pasadena.
For more information, check out their website at www.pasjazz.org.
